PICTURE the scenario. Rangers are stumbling from one financial crisis to the next with the threat of liquidation looming.

They look sure to be heading out of the SPL, dropping to the Third Division and out of sight.

Celtic can see that they are going to be the top dogs. Rubbing their hands, they realise they can be champions for the foreseeable future.

Yet there is a snag. They also consider the prospect that without a genuine challenger for their crown, the lack of competition may have a detrimental affect on attendances.

They know their fans will be looking for an edge to their matchdays.

And supporters of other teams will also be affected as they will see their clubs cost-cutting year on year because they have no hope of competing.

Weighing up the pros and cons, the big announcement comes.

In a shock move, Celtic are going to hand out £2million to Rangers to stave off liquidation, give them a chance to get on their feet and ensure there can be a strong competitor for them. Far fetched?

Well 10 years ago that is exactly what Bayern Munich did for Borussia Dortmund.

They saw one of their main rivals in the grubber and, knowing the consequences of their absence, decided to bail them out.

Okay some of the finer points of the above are adjusted slightly to suit but the bottom line is Bayern handed out that loan to stave off Dortmund’s imminent bankruptcy.

Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke verified the long-held suspicion at a fans’ meeting in February.

For the last two years, Dortmund repaid their saviours by taking the Bundesliga titles which the residents of Munich believed to be their own property. Bayern, though, roared back to regain the crown this season. The result of Germany’s two superpowers pulling each other along and throwing down challenges for each other to match?

Well, it’s two-fold. Firstly, the pair of them heading to Wembley for a Champions League Final this month.

Secondly, a vibrant and dazzling Bundesliga right on their shoulder to back them up.

It’s a quite a story and one that says competition makes you stronger. A decade ago, Germany was on the slide.

The Bundesliga had gone stale. The national team had already suffered.

With no quality in their own league, they were subjected to sub-standard imports.

Sound like anywhere you know?

Euro 2000 – in which Germany failed to win a game and scored only one goal – was the tipping point.

They invested almost £1billion into youth programmes and it has been justified.

Of the 44 players that made up the starting line-ups of the four Champions League semi-finalists, 14 were members of the German national team.

The strength of the Bundesliga goes beyond talent development and into the solid business model in Germany.

Dortmund forgot that in 1997. When they made the Champions League for the first time they lost the plot.

Chased the dream. Paid money they didn’t have. Almost put themselves out of business.

But even their biggest Bundesliga rivals realised that without them, a vital cog would be ripped from the country’s machine.

Bayern thrust out a hand to haul them from falling down the black hole and started the German revival.

Now those hands will again be joined.

Not just tomorrow in the Bundesliga but also at England’s national stadium on the biggest stage in European football.